Now the 4th-largest jackpot in world history
By Todd Northrop
Will someone give a Christmas gift worth billions this week?
It's actually a possibility, as the next Powerball drawing on Christmas Eve is set to deliver a faint-inducing prize worth $1.7 billion.
The Powerball jackpot has been building for a record 46 consecutive drawings since the last winner on Sept. 6, 2025, when two tickets sold in Missouri and Texas split a $1.7874 billion jackpot after 41 draws without a winner. Both tickets have been claimed: the Missouri winner is a self-described homebody and the Texas portion was claimed by a trust.
Monday night when there were no Powerball jackpot winners, the new jackpot for Wednesday's drawing was estimated at $1.7 billion, with a lump-sum cash option of $781.3 million. Three-quarters of a billion dollars in cash!
The Wednesday jackpot is the 4th-largest lottery jackpot in history, and the 6th-largest cash option ever offered. (See complete top-25 jackpot rankings for annuity and cash values below.)
Of course, any big winner (or winners) of Wednesday's Powerball jackpot will have to pay taxes on their prize, so the website USA Mega has a handy Powerball Jackpot Analysis page available to calculate the federal and state taxes that would be withheld upon payout. The feature calculates both the initial withholdings and the final tax burden due at the end of the year, and even can show taxes calculated for different IRS filing statuses.
"A Christmas Eve drawing paired with a jackpot of this size is a rare combination and creates the possibility of a memorable win for our players," said Courtney Arbour, executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which oversees the Texas Lottery. "As interest builds ahead of tomorrow night's drawing, Powerball sales continue to be strong in Texas, helping to support public education across the state."
In Powerball history, this marks only the second time that the game has produced back-to-back jackpots exceeding $1 billion. The only other occurrence was in 2023, when a $1.08 billion jackpot was won on July 19, followed by a $1.765 billion jackpot won on Oct. 11 of that year.
The largest lottery jackpot ever awarded was on Nov. 7, 2022, when one Powerball ticket sold in California won a $2 billion grand prize. The incredibly lucky winner was Edwin Castro, who claimed the prize in February of 2023, providing minimal public information about himself. What little is known about Castro comes from public filings, and includes the purchases of houses one, two, and three, as well as being the subject of dubious lawsuits that are unfortunately predictable these days. (The lawsuit was thrown out last year.) One of those houses was destroyed in the 2025 Palisades fire, and Castro was later active in purchasing lots destroyed by the fire.
Players looking for a nearby lottery retailer — or that out-of-the-way retailer with a smaller line — are encouraged to use Lottery Places, the only app for iOS, Android, and Windows that can locate the nearest lottery retailers in every jurisdiction that sells Powerball and Mega Millions. The helpful app can locate lottery stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, much of Canada, and the Caribbean.
Some states offer direct online sales, allowing players to bypass the store and purchase tickets from home. Players can see if they can play Powerball online by tapping the link. Depending on the physical location of the person, the link will either provide access via a licensed butler service or the official state lottery itself.
Butler services provide scanned copies of the purchased lottery tickets securely held on behalf of the customer. In the past, such lottery ticket services were used by people out side the USA to win big jackpots in Oregon and Florida.
The winning numbers for Monday, December 22, 2025 were 3, 18, 36, 41, and 54, with Powerball number 7. The Power Play number was 2.
The Monday Double Play drawing results were 14, 32, 47, 48, and 69, with Powerball number 17. Double Play is a game option currently available in 25 states, plus Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, that lets you play your numbers in a second drawing for $1 per play, with a chance to win up to $10 million in cash. See How to Play Powerball at USA Mega for more information about Double Play.
Even though nobody won the jackpot Monday, 9 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Florida, 1 from Georgia, 1 from Illinois, 2 from New York, 1 from Ohio, 1 from Pennsylvania, 1 from Tennessee, and 1 from Wisconsin.
None of the second-prize tickets were purchased the Power Play option for an extra $1 per play, which would have doubled their prize to $2 million.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, a second-prize win is doubled and any other non-jackpot prize is multplied by the Power Play number drawn that evening. A complete list of prizes available for matching various numbers can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Powerball Prize Payouts and the Powerball Double Play Prize Payouts pages at Lottery Post.
The official drawing videos can also be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega.
Power Play is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered in Power Play is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts. By law, California awards all prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold and the number of tickets that won at each prize level.
Also in the Monday drawing, 135 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $50,000. Of those tickets, 28 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $100,000, and 18 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $16,329 this drawing.
Following the Monday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised $113.4 million from its previous amount of $1.5866 billion and the cash value was raised by $52.2 million from its previous amount of $729.1 million.
The next Powerball drawing will take place Wednesday night at 10:59 pm Eastern Time.
Powerball is played in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Wednesday's Powerball jackpot currently stands as the 4th-largest lottery jackpot of all time. Brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
- Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $1.7874 billion, Sep. 6, 2025 (41 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Missouri, Texas
- Powerball: $1.7649 billion, Oct. 11, 2023 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $1.7 billion, Dec. 24, 2025 (46 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $1.602 billion, Aug. 8, 2023 (31 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Florida
- Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023 (25 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maine
- Mega Millions: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
- Powerball: $1.3259 billion, Apr. 6, 2024 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $1.269 billion, Dec. 27, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.128 billion, Mar. 26, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $1.0798 billion, Jul. 19, 2023 (38 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $983 million, Nov. 14, 2025 (39 rollovers, starting at $50 million) - Georgia
- Powerball: $842.4 million, Jan. 1, 2024 (34 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $800 million, Sep. 10, 2024 (27 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Texas
- Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
- Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $754.6 million, Feb. 6, 2023 (33 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Washington
- Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
- Powerball: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
The number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 14
- Mega Millions: 11
Top 25 cash value jackpots
Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth.
Looking at the cash value, the upcoming Powerball jackpot ranks as the 6th-largest cash value in history.
- Powerball: $997.6 million cash, Nov. 7, 2022 ($2.0401 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
- Powerball: $820.6 million cash, Sep. 6, 2025 ($1.7874 billion annuity) - Missouri, Texas
- Mega Millions: $794.2 million cash, Aug. 8, 2023 ($1.602 billion annuity) - Florida
- Powerball: $781.3 million cash, Dec. 24, 2025 ($1.7 billion annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $780.5 million cash, Jul. 29, 2022 ($1.337 billion annuity) - Illinois
- Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $774.1 million cash, Oct. 11, 2023 ($1.7649 billion annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $723.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2023 ($1.348 billion annuity) - Maine
- Powerball: $621 million cash, Apr. 6, 2024 ($1.3259 billion annuity) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $571.9 million cash, Dec. 27, 2024 ($1.269 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $558.1 million cash, Jul. 19, 2023 ($1.0798 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Mega Millions: $536.6 million cash, Mar. 26, 2024 ($1.128 billion annuity) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $477 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $453.6 million cash, Nov. 14, 2025 ($983 million annuity) - Georgia
- Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
- Powerball: $425.2 million cash, Jan. 1, 2024 ($842.4 million annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $407.2 million cash, Feb. 6, 2023 ($754.6 million annuity) - Washington
- Mega Millions: $404.2 million cash, Sep. 10, 2024 ($800 million annuity) - Texas
- Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 15
- Mega Millions: 10
I won $10. I'm going to claim it anonymously. I don't want my neighbors to find out...😂
Goodbye 1995 Honda Accord. Hello 2026 Acura NSX.
I hope we see a RECORD BREAKING JACKPOT!!!!! Something like $2,600,000,000! Wonder how many draws that would take?
I could live comfortably and do a tremendous amount of good in the world.
$20 or more given to a charity or to do some god somewhere now is far better than thinking about all the good that could be done if you win a jackpot.
PB will claim they set a new record if the annuity is more than the current $2.04 billion record, but to beat the $997.6 million cash value of that jackpot the annuity needs to be 2.17B, assuming the interest rate doesn't change. The PB worksheet posted on Monday afternoon suggests that a rollover on Wednesday will give us a Saturday jackpot of about $2.11 billion, but I'm not sure the people behind that estimate really have a better idea than anyone else. They came up over $60 million short on Saturday. They missed by roughly $10 million last night, but the nominal $100 million increase was really about 155.
I can't imagine that the actual increase for Wednesday won't be something bigger than the increase for Monday, and simply matching it would result in a final total of 1.745B. Last week sales for Wednesday were about 37% higher than sales for Monday jackpot, and the same 37% increase this time around would add about 73 million, so 1.815ish seems like a fairly safe bet. There's also the possibility that Christmas will make people spend more, and there's still the possibility that the very big jackpot will finally result in sales similar to the previous run. If that happens there's a pretty good chance we'd see a Saturday jackpot that sets a new cash record by a comfortable margin. If the jackpot is a bit more than 1.8B on Wednesday night the chance of another rollover is probably about 65%.
I only got the Powerball number . Trying to win the whole thing next draw 👍
Nothing to speak of from this participant. Onward we go for Christmas Eve. Good luck and Merry Christmas to all.
heres to a a new PB record
I've been right about this continual rollover so I haven't been spending very much. But I do feel there will be a winner on Christmas Eve. It will be the "Best Christmas Ever" for someone (can you imagine!?) -- as long as they don't lose their winning ticket, that is. Ha. Put your tickets in a safe place, people! Just in case.
Cheers!
Got the Powerball number twice, so I won $8 and only spent $6 on three tickets. So I'm profitable lol. Looking forward to Wednesday.
When I win:
1. I will not tell anyone.
2. Make a copy of ticket, front and back. Do NOT sign it.
3. Put in bank safe deposit box.
4. Get a burner phone and call lottery attorney Kurt Panouses to claim in a Trust or LLC.
5. Get ready to transition into my new experience.
Good to have a plan in place prior to buying the ticket.
Came home from major loss @ the gaming facility and played PB one more time on line and had the PB # for $8.